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Microsoft Dynamics AX vs SAP S/4HANA comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.4
Microsoft Dynamics AX enhances work practices and management, achieving significant ROI and efficiency across diverse business operations.
Sentiment score
4.8
SAP S/4HANA provides strong ROI through reduced expenses, improved efficiency, and innovative processes, particularly for large, integrated companies.
It's not a matter of the solution; it's a matter of the clients and the approach that we follow.
Works at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
If we can maximize that, we can get the full price benefit of the solution.
Principal Instrument and Control at PETRONAS
We have observed a good return on investment, with calculations based on a five-year ROI plan.
Account executive at Cisco
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.2
Microsoft Dynamics AX support quality varies, with premium being costly; users often depend on partners or in-house teams.
Sentiment score
6.1
SAP S/4HANA support is reliable yet costly, with expert guidance and varying resolution speeds, scoring 7-8 out of 10.
Microsoft has really good documentation, and they are known for that.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A traditional challenge with SAP support is that SAP teams only support the standard functions, which are part of the product.
Delivery Head- IT Shared Services at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Establishing the right channels was a challenge, as BTP was new to everyone, including our SAP contacts.
Chief Executive Officer at LogicalDNA Solutions
I would rate the support a ten because there are a lot of knowledge-based articles published, and most of them are available online.
Program Director at KloudData Inc.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Microsoft Dynamics AX offers scalability for various business sizes, though older versions may struggle with customizations and performance issues.
Sentiment score
7.6
SAP S/4HANA offers scalable cloud-based solutions for medium to large enterprises, supporting customization, integration, and infrastructure flexibility.
There are these things called AOS nodes where if you have more users and performance decreases, you can add more servers to the cluster.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
It struggles with scalability when you need to manage financial reporting or setup for multiple companies.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
Microsoft Dynamics AX already has multiple functions for sales, inventory, HR, finance, and supply chain.
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
SAP S/4HANA scales exceptionally well.
Enterprise Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
It is very easy to scale within businesses, especially when a new business falls within the range.
Project accountant at Montego Upstream Services Limited
Scalability is a key strength of SAP, especially for HANA, compared to all the other ERPs.
Delivery Head- IT Shared Services at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Dynamics AX is generally stable, with user ratings high, but issues arise with customizations and inadequate infrastructure.
Sentiment score
7.7
SAP S/4HANA is stable and reliable, scoring highly, though customizations and public cloud connectivity issues may affect performance.
I have not had any major issues with stability.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
If you do the maintenance and have your own people, it could be stable, but it means a lot of work.
Head of Controlling and IT at Melinda
For stability, I would rate Microsoft Dynamics AX a ten, as I have not faced any problems at all.
Chief Executive Officer at Easy Touch
SAP S/4HANA is very stable by design, with a focus on clean core compliance to maintain system stability for upgrades.
Principal field consultant at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
The SAP HANA system is not very easy to unlock, and it's something strange as, compared to other databases, when transaction logs are full, you stop the system, run the transaction log backups, and then restart.
Associate Partner - SAP Solution Architect and MDG expert at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Not very often, but it can happen, especially with user load; if many people use the system at the same time, there might be issues depending on various factors.
Enterprise Architect at E.ON
 

Room For Improvement

The platform requires improvements in APIs, support, UI, data migration, analytics, features, pricing, scalability, security, and compatibility.
SAP S/4HANA requires user interface, integration, customization enhancements, improved Fiori apps, AI upgrades, and more affordable pricing.
It is no longer supported from a security perspective, so it is not getting updated.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Microsoft Dynamics AX lacks the concept of month-end closing, which is essential for tight control over financial periods.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
Most companies working with AX currently transforming to D365, upgrading their ERP systems, which are more enhanced and have additional features such as dashboards.
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Organizations face challenges like adapting to new technologies rapidly, and whether customers are early or late adopters influences their experience.
Managing Director at a recruiting/HR firm with 501-1,000 employees
Huge ROI opportunities exist for enterprises, but planning and transparency are crucial to navigate the changes necessitated by SAP S_4HANA.
Principal field consultant at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
I can perform a lot of data manipulation directly on SAP using S-One, without having to resort to Excel, unlike with View ID.
Project accountant at Montego Upstream Services Limited
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Dynamics AX is expensive with high setup costs; flexible pricing is needed for economic and regional challenges.
SAP S/4HANA pricing is high, influenced by licensing and deployment, with additional costs for features impacting overall expenditure.
Acquiring a developer license for customization is expensive, costing over one hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
I think it would be great if Microsoft made the price model flexible per company and per country, considering that some countries face different economic situations which makes Microsoft pricing seem very high.
Chief Executive Officer at Easy Touch
It's higher compared to similar peer solutions.
Account executive at Cisco
Most users or IT professionals typically criticize the high price of SAP license costs.
Enterprise Architect at E.ON
It's not easy to have a clear understanding of the price and the value, especially if I talk about the business transaction platform.
Associate Partner - SAP Solution Architect and MDG expert at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Dynamics AX offers flexible dimensions, module integration, seamless Excel compatibility, cloud scalability, and strong data management and security.
SAP S/4HANA offers valuable integration, real-time analytics, robust finance features, and seamless customization, enhancing decision-making and operational efficiency.
There are many levels of security and permissions for each user to monitor and access specific data relative to their functions.
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
I have not had any major issue with stability.
Senior System Analyst at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX is its full integration with Excel, allowing for cut and paste functionality between Excel and the system.
Business Analyst at Kpmhealth.com
It enables the posting of transactions and allows us to see the impact across various application scenarios, providing significant benefits for business.
Enterprise Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
The way SAP has helped our customers is by establishing a discipline where industry-specific operations and SAP's standard processes work hand in hand, improving resource utilization, material movement control, and cost control.
Chief Executive Officer at LogicalDNA Solutions
The insights given help us make strategic decisions.
Technical Lead at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics AX
Ranking in ERP
8th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
Activity Based Costing Software (5th)
SAP S/4HANA
Ranking in ERP
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
127
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the ERP category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics AX is 2.5%, down from 5.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP S/4HANA is 5.8%, down from 10.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ERP Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
SAP S/4HANA5.8%
Microsoft Dynamics AX2.5%
Other91.7%
ERP
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2765214 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Sales Support Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Has required ongoing support and modernization but effectively manages core operations and complex workflows
Microsoft Dynamics AX is a very strong ERP system, applicable for customizations to help companies and organizations streamline their processes. The specific feature I find most valuable about Microsoft Dynamics AX is the applicable permissions. There are many levels of security and permissions for each user to monitor and access specific data relative to their functions. Additionally, the linkage and transition between exploring and moving from window to window, from function to function is valuable. The impact of Microsoft Dynamics AX on managing financial processes is significant. It's a very important element for financial departments as it represents all transactions, references, and records. The adjustments and availability to create more than one virtual company allow large companies, which combined represent one group of companies, to connect and streamline their financials and operations.
MuhammadNadeem3 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager Sap at PTCL
Integrated workflows have streamlined hiring, purchasing, and daily operations across departments
Areas of SAP S_4HANA that could be improved or enhanced include the evolving aspects of the application over time. There are other SAP applications such as SuccessFactors and Ariba that integrate with SAP S_4HANA. In recent years, SAP introduced an addition called RISE with SAP, which allows companies to use cloud solutions instead of requiring their own premises hardware. SAP partners with cloud providers such as Azure, Amazon, and Google, assisting companies in migrating from hardware to cloud solutions. A challenge that arises is the lack of immediate expertise when raising tickets for problem resolution with SAP, leading to delays. We have asked SAP to improve this area to provide users with better benefits from the cloud solution, as we encounter this issue frequently.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Construction Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise17
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business51
Midsize Enterprise26
Large Enterprise56
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics AX?
I think the integration capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics AX need to be enhanced. There are many features for integration, such as APIs and connectors, but I need more ready APIs that link directl...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
For industrial companies, I mainly use Microsoft Dynamics AX for those processes. Most of my clients are manufacturing clients, so I work with food industries, steel industries, plastic industries,...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Dynamics AX?
Microsoft Dynamics AX provides benefits like saving time because it is very easy to use and it offers strong processes to implement full business processes, mapping them with customer business for ...
Are there any advantages of SAP S4 HANA over SAP Business One (SAP B1) apart from the cost?
SaP Business One is a complete solution for business management. The software applications are broad, ranging from accounting to project management and human resources. It is very versatile and com...
What needs improvement with SAP S4HANA?
SAP S_4HANA could definitely be improved by making the transformation process much simpler, perhaps through AI tools to automate a significant portion of it, as there is still much uncertainty with...
What is your primary use case for SAP S4HANA?
My main use case for SAP S_4HANA is finance and billing. I use SAP S_4HANA for finance and billing through different modules, such as FICO and BRIM. Different modules are utilized for various purpo...
 

Also Known As

Dynamics AX, Axapta, MS Dynamics AX
SAP S4HANA
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ConQuaestor, D & H Distributing, Sunny Queen, Mesa Associates, Britax Childcare, Ibema, Arafa, Sabo S.p.A.
Nestle, O.C. Tanner, Sabre, New York Life Insurance Co., MEMEBOX, Siemens AG.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Dynamics AX vs. SAP S/4HANA and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.